Treating leucite-rock for the extraction of alkali and alumina contained therein.



made up of sulfuric acid and a relatively .ELMER EroucHER'rY, or nnooiyrrinnn, NEW JERSEY.

TREATING EEUoI rE-EocK FOR. THE Exrnncrron or ALKALI AND ALUMINA CGNTAINED THEEEIE.

' No Drawing.

. To all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I, ELMER E. DoUcHEnTY,

- acitizen of the United States, residing at Bloomfield, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Treating Leucite-Rook for the Extraction of Alkali and Alumina contained therein; and I do hereby declare appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to the treatment of leucite rock, and particularly to-the leucite rock of the kind found in the State ,of WVy'oming, for the extraction of the alumina and alkali contained therein, the alkali v being present mainly in the form'of potash.

' It is well known that the potash and alumina present in leucite issoluble in hydrochloric acid, producing a sandy silicious residue which is easily washed. However, this reagent is an expensive one. 'I have found that the extraction of the potash and alumina can be accomplished by a mixture small proportion of hydrochloric acid,--.

from 2% to 5% of hydrochloric acid being sufficient. 1

In carrying out my invention, I have, found the following procedure to give the best results. .The leucite is ground fine enough for the acids to act freely, and a quantity of sulfuric acid is added, at least stirred during the heating operation.

suflicient to combine with the bases,a

slight excess being preferred. Hydrochloric acid is then added in the proportion of 2% by Weight of the leucite. The mixture is thenh'eated, as, for instance, upon a hot plate at a temperature somewhat above the boiling point of water, until the mass becomes pasty, the mass being constantllly T e heat is then increased until the remaining water is driven off, which occurs at a temperature corresponding to an incipient red heat (say 500 C.) At thisheat, the hydrochloric acid is likewise driven off and also the excess H SO and are recovered, as far as possible, by passing the hydrochloric acid vapors through the next charge which has already been mixed with its component part of sulfuric acid. The baked mass is lixiviated with boiling water, whereupon the potash and alumina go into'solution as sul- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27,1915.

Application filed October 11, 1913.; Serial 210. 794,600.

fates, and may be extracted from the solu- .tion in accordance with any of the wellknown methods.

Instead of using hydrochloric acid as such, I may add to, the ground leucite, a

quantity of chlorid salt, such as common' cheaper acid. This I attribute principally to the fact that the leucite which is found in-lVyoming is mixed with the mica known 1 as phlogopite, which is not attacked by hydrochloric acid alone, or sulfuric acid alone, but which, under the conditions of treatment characteristic of my invention is attacked by sulfuric acid. So also, the lime contained in the leucite is converted into gypsum, which is relatively insoluble, and the iron is converted to such condition that it is also relatively insoluble. Both of these facts make the subsequent treatment of the solutions obtained by the lixivia'tion of the baked mass much easier, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art.

in the presence of hydrochloric acid produced in situ within the mass; substantially as described.

3. The method of recovering alkalis and alumina from leucite, which comprises adding sulfuricacid to the leucite in quantity suflicient to combine with the bases, and, in the presence of hydrochloric acid heating the mixture until the mass becomes pasty and until the greater part of the water present has been driven off, then increasing the heat to drive off the remainder of the water and with it the hydrochloric acid, and finally recovering the Water-soluble sulfates from the mass by lixiviation; substantially as described;

4:. The method of recovering alkalis and alumina from leucjite, which comprises addingi1 sulfuric acid-t0. the leucite in quantity su 'cient to combine With-the bases, and, in

the presence of hydroehloricT'acid heating,

the mixture until the mass becomes pasty and until the greater part of the Water pres-c ent has been driven off, then increasing the heat to drive 011' the remainder of the water and with it the hydrochloric acid, and re- 15 covering the hydrochloric acid by passing the vapors through a new charge which has already been mixed with its component part of sulfuric acid; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signa- 20 ture in presence of tvvo witnesses.

ELMER E. DOUGHERTY.

WVitnesses FRANZ A. BODY, H. W; BURKEYL 

